who were seated around the fire smoking. He said nothing, but seated
himself also and smoked the pipe which they offered him, in silence. An
old grey bear, who was the chief, ordered supper to be brought for him,
and after he had eaten it, addressed him as follows: "My son, I am glad
to see you come among us in a friendly manner. You have been a great
hunter, and all the she-bears of our tribe tremble when they hear your
name. But cease to trouble us, and come and live with me; we have a very
pleasant life, living upon the fruits of the earth; and in the winter,
instead of being obliged to hunt and travel through the deep snow, we
sleep soundly until the sun unchains the streams, and makes the tender
buds put forth for our subsistence. I will give you my daughter for a
wife, and we will live happily together." Muckwa was inclined to accept
the old bear's offer; but when he saw the daughter, who came and took
off his wet moccasons, and gave him dry ones, he thought that he had
never seen any Indian woman so beautiful. He accepted the offer of the
chief of the bears, and lived with his wife very happily for some time.
He had by her two sons, one of whom was like an Indian, and the other
like a bear. When the bear-child was oppressed with heat, his mother
would take him into the deep cool caves, while the Indian-child would
shiver with cold, and cry after her in vain. As the autumn advanced, the
bears began to go out in search of acorns, and then the she-bear said to
Muckwa, "Stay at home here and watch our house, while I go to gather
some nuts." She departed and was gone for some days with her people.
By-and-by Muckwa became tired of staying at home, and thought that he
would go off to a distance and resume his favorite bear-hunting. He
accordingly started off, and at last came to a grove of lofty oaks,
which were full of large acorns. He found signs of bear, and soon espied
a fat she-bear on the top of a tree. He shot at her with a good aim, and
she fell, pierced by his unerring arrow. He went up to her, and found
it was his sister-in-law, who reproached him with his cruelty, and told
him to return to his own people. Muckwa returned quietly home, and
pretended not to have left his lodge. However, the old chief understood,
and was disposed to kill him in revenge; but his wife found means to
avert her father's anger. The winter season now coming on, Muckwa
prepared to accompany his wife into winter quarters; they selected a